Is This Worship?
Holy Week and Easter were fabulous but strange, essential but incomplete. Several times during our annual paschal pilgrimage, I stopped to give thanks for the privilege of being in church. Most of us must worship from home, dependent on self-led liturgies or a livestreamed service performed by a few people at church. I have never experienced this kind of longing for the ability to gather together in worship, and I bet you feel the same.
All of us have learned a great deal about community these last several weeks, and the church is learning a lot, too. In the months and years ahead, I trust that congregational and denominational leaders will discover new and abiding ways to be the church—the Body of Christ—not only in a pandemic but beyond it. Even now, our congregation is finding new expressions of worship—like the "Holy Week at Home" booklet—and new ways to gather for worship, study, and fellowship—like our weekly virtual coffee hour on Zoom. In the midst of such rapid and significant change, I wonder how these new approaches have deepened our experience of church and also how they may have cheapened it.
In preparation for Holy Week, I called some colleagues to ask how they were guiding their congregations through this strange time. One of them asked rhetorically whether what we are offering online can accurately be described as worship. He acknowledged that the church is doing an excellent job of keeping people connected through virtual opportunities for socialization and formation, but worship, he argued, is something different. Worship is not something that the church gives to us. It is something that we give to God. In the conversation that continued, we both named ways in which recovering that essential component of worship requires a different mindset in both those who lead online worship and those who participate from their homes.
When we are not practicing physical distancing, the actions and intentions behind waking up, getting reading, and going to church on Sunday morning are themselves an expression of worship—an offering of value that we give to God. Sitting on our living room sofa in a bathrobe while holding a phone can still be worship, but, if worship means to ascribe ultimate value to someone or something, namely God, we must find intentional ways of doing that from our homes.
Here are my "top ten" suggestions for how you can make a virtual experience of a church service truly worshipful, using a chronological rather than dramatic order.
1. Set the scene.
Just as the Altar Guild and Flower Guild prepare our church for worship each week, take time to prepare your sacred space for worship. Bring in flowers or other greenery from outside. Spread a nice tablecloth on small table and place the flowers and other sacred objects like a cross or candles on it. Get the online stream set up, and then sit in silence for five minutes before the service starts.
2. Choose one, big screen in a special room.
If you have the ability, stream the service on a large screen to help you feel a greater connection with what is happening online. If you live with other people, make sure everyone is viewing from the same screen. If possible, choose a less-trafficked space in your house like a living room, where people gather for special visits.
3. Dress up.
Do not wait until after church to take a shower and get ready for the day. Get up as you normally would on a Sunday morning and go through the routine of preparing for church. Put on fancy clothes if it helps you prepare for an encounter with God, or dress comfortably and casually. Regardless, be intentional about your choice.
4. Eliminate distractions.
Just as you would in church, turn off your phones and other devices. Do not browse other websites or newsfeeds during the service. Trust that phone calls and text messages can wait. Stay in your seat, only wandering around as little as you normally would during the service.
5. Share church with others.
Worship is meant to be a social event. Text or call other family and friends to let them know that you are "going" to church. Before or after the service, post a picture of the screen and your sacred space on social media. Later in the day, ask others how their experience of church was whether or not they streamed the same service or worshipped with a different congregation.
6. Stand up, sit down, and kneel.
Our style of worship is not a passive experience but an active engagement. Stand up when we give praise to God. Sit down when we hear the readings or the sermon. If you are able and have a carpeted surface, kneel when we pray. Notice how these simple physical gestures align your heart, mind, and spirit with what is happening in the service.
7. Sing.
Some of us are better singers than others, but all of us, in one way or another, can make a joyful noise to God. Worship is not a performance for us to observe but an opportunity for us to participate, and singing the hymns and canticles is a great way to do that. Plus, at home, there is no one other than family and pets to give you a strange look if you sing off-key!
8. Make an offering.
We put money in the offering plate not because our church needs it but because contributing something of value to God and God's work in the world is an essential component of worship. When it is time for the offertory, go online and make a gift to your church or to another organization that allows you to give of yourself to godly work. Consider placing a money jar on your sacred table for bills and change that you can put in now and give away later.
9. Celebrate after church.
Many people like to go out for lunch after church or come home for a special meal. Make your Sunday lunch or brunch a big deal—something to look forward to during the week. Whether you are alone or live with others, make your routine after church a time to celebrate the experience of worship.
10. Be habitual.
Worship is not something we do when we feel like it. It is something around which our lives revolve. Make Sunday morning a regular, sacred appointment in your weekly calendar. Do not skip it. If you cannot watch our livestream at 8:45am, set aside another time during the day when you can. Consider "visiting" other churches through their online stream, but keep the habit going. If you cannot worship online, say the service of Morning Prayer on your own. However you do it, make worship something you live for.
Yours Faithfully,
Evan